Toddler Tuesday: Spinach Nuggets with a Fun Yogurt Dipping Sauce

    I was rereading part of Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron and she lists the "Super Green Veggies" as kale, broccoli, greens, brussels sprouts, asparagus, swiss chard, okra, peas, and spinach.  She suggests that babies and toddlers (and the rest of us, too, I suppose) should have at least one serving of vegetables from this group everyday.  I have to be honest and say that Meghan only eats three of those vegetables on a somewhat regular basis (broccoli, asparagus, and peas) and she definitely doesn't get at least one serving a day.  I was inspired to try to accomplish this feat, however, and decided to try to create a kid-friendly recipe that included spinach.  I include spinach in my own cooking all the time, but Meghan doesn't usually want any part of the leaves.  This recipe for spinach nuggets was a success.  The nuggets were crispy and tasty.  These are perfect for a toddler, but would also be great for a healthy snack for older kids.  I was able to do all the prep and get them into the oven while Meghan watched Sesame Street.  They cooked in the oven and were ready by the lunch time.  While they were cooking I decided a fun dipping sauce would be appropriate, especially since Meghan seems to love dipping her foods lately.  With just a few simple ingredients, making the sauce is quite easy, and Meghan enjoyed "helping" me.  You can make the dipping sauce, or just use ketchup. :-)

Spinach Nuggets


1/4 cup sliced almonds*
2 large handfuls fresh baby spinach
1 1/2 cups whole wheat breadcrumbs, divided
2 eggs
1/4 cup flaxseed meal**
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon oregano
1/4 cup shredded cheese (I used cheddar, but any kind will be fine)

*If you haven't introduced nuts to your toddler yet, try to substitute extra bread crumbs.  I started introducing nuts at age 1 with Meghan and haven't had any issues.
**If you don't have flaxseed meal on hand, you can use extra breadcrumbs here as well.  Flaxseeds are nutritional powerhouses, though, so I highly recommend you keep flaxseed meal on hand.  It's easy to sprinkle in to most any recipe or snack.  I currently use Bob's Red Mill brand.

Step 1
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
Place the almonds in the food processor and process until they turn into a fine crumb.

Step 2
Add the two handfuls of spinach and pulse until you have a green crumb-like mixture. Set aside.

 Step 3

Whisk the two eggs in a small bowl.                                                                                        

Step 4
Add the spinach-almond mixture, 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs, the flaxseed, basil, oregano, and cheese and mix until evenly incorporated.

Step 5
Place the remaining cup of breadcrumbs in a small bowl.  Using your hands, form a small portion of the spinach mixture into a ball and roll it in the breadcrumbs until it is fully covered.

Put it on the cookie sheet and press it down to form a nugget shape.  Repeat with remaining spinach mixture and breadcrumbs.  You should end up with 15-20 small nuggets.

Step 6
Bake for 25 minutes, turning the nuggets over halfway through the cooking time.  Allow to cool and serve.

Yogurt-Thyme Dipping Sauce


1/4 cup yogurt*
1/8 cup tahini (sesame paste)
juice from 1/2 lemon
1/2 avocado
1 tsp. dried thyme

Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.

*I used full-fat yogurt as fat is extremely important for the developing brains of babies under 2.  If you have an older child, you may want to use low-fat or non-fat yogurt.

Here is Meghan enjoying her nugget.  Please excuse the crazy-baby hair.  She was in a I-don't-want-to-keep-my-bow-in kind of mood.  She ended up enjoying the dip a little too much and eating the rest of it with her hands. I didn't mind since the ingredients were healthy.

Later in the meal when she was having her peanut butter banana "sandwiches" (cut a banana length-wise, spread with peanut butter, put it back together, and slice), she decided to dip those as well.  Gross, but whatevs.  

Since there was a nice, big batch of nuggets, I froze them.  I put two nuggets each into small plastic bags, and then put those inside a ziplock freezer bag.  These will be simple to pull out and pop in the microwave for a quick veggie side or snack.  

Whole Wheat Penne with Baby Bellas, Spinach, and Tomatoes

     Baby bellas were on sale at Trader Joe's this week and my thoughts immediately went to a light spring time pasta dish.  My food cravings really change with the seasons.  During the cold, winter months I inevitably crave heavy, comfort foods.  Come spring and summer, though, my body tells me to lighten it up and I usually do.  This is a simple dish that is a snap to put together.

Whole Wheat Penne with Baby Bellas, 
Spinach, and Tomatoes
1 pound whole wheat penne pasta
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1/3 cup dry white wine
10 oz. sliced baby bellas, rinsed and lightly patted dry
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning blend
2 large handfuls fresh baby spinach
1- 28 ounce can diced tomatoes with juice


Step 1
Heat the oil in a large skillet. When the oil is plenty hot, add 
the garlic and shallot and cook 2-3 minutes until the shallot 
is soft and translucent.

Step 2

Add the wine and allow it to simmer about 2 minutes.  

*Tip:  My husband and I are not big drinkers, so buying a full bottle of wine for a recipe is usually a waste.  Instead, I buy a small bottle like this:

This bottle was only $2.00. 

Step 3

Add the mushrooms and herbs to the skillet.  Mix so that the herbs are evenly distributed among the mushrooms.  Allow to cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms are tender and reduced in size, about 6-8 minutes.  

Meanwhile, start boiling your water and cook the pasta according to package directions.  

Step 4

Add the tomatoes with their juice and partially cover the skillet.  Allow to simmer for about 10 minutes.  The sauce should reduce slightly.  

Step 5

Add the spinach and stir until it begins to wilt, about 2-3 minutes.  

Step 6

Add the cooked penne to the skillet and stir to mix with the other ingredients.  

Step 7

Plate and serve!  

Yield: 6-8 servings
We had a ton of leftovers. It was great to heat up 
for lunch the next day.  I especially love this meal 
because it can get it on the table in about 35 minutes!

Snack Attack: Healthy Vegan Carrot Spread

   I have an affinity for snacking. When my body is telling me it's hungry, I'm just not good at saying, "So sorry my friend, you must wait until the next scheduled meal".  So I don't.  When I'm hungry, I eat.  (And sometimes when I'm bored, too, but I'm working on that.)  The problems lies with the crazy over-processed convenient snack foods that line our grocery store shelves.  When I'm hungry for a snack, I want it now, not in the twenty or thirty minutes it would take me to prepare something fresh.  But I don't want to put all the crap ingredients into my body that come with those quick-and-easy pre-packaged snack foods.  My solution is to prepare fresh foods ahead of time, so when hunger strikes my snack is ready.  I especially love dips and spreads.  They are perfect for munching on fresh vegetables (pre-cut, of course) or spreading on crackers.  I often prepare a large enough portion of a dip or spread so that it will last me a week.  If you're really sharp you are probably thinking, "Hey, aren't crackers full of junk ingredients?".  Good work. Yes, they often are.  You can find crackers that are more healthy than the standard ones, however.  The brand that I have found to have the best ingredients is Kashi.  You want to look for crackers that use whole grain flours only and don't have hydrogenated oils.

    The snack I'm highlighting today is called Curried Carrot Dip and it is slightly modified from Veganomicon.  Veganomicon is full of great recipes, but my favorites are the dips, spreads, salad dressings, and sauces.  They are always relatively simple and really delicious.  Now, in the title I call this a spread rather than a dip.  I use it more as a spread, but it can be used as a dip as well.  It's versatile!  An added bonus is that Meghan, who prefers green vegetables to orange, will eat this dip if I spread it on a cracker.  So this is one way I get some carrots in her.  Isn't that strange? Most toddlers I know love the orange veggies.  Nonetheless, this can be a healthy snack for your toddlers or older children, as well. 

Curried Carrot Dip

1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1/4 c. roasted sunflower seeds (salted)

2 teaspoons vegetable oil of your choice (I use grapeseed oil as that is what the original recipe suggests)

1 clove garlic, minced

1  tsp. curry powder

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1 tbs. fresh lemon juice
dash cinnamon 

Cook the carrots by steaming them, about 10 minutes or until soft.  Allow them to cool.  

In a blender or food processor, pulse the sunflower seeds until they are crumbs.  Add the rest of the ingredients and continue to process until the mixture is smooth.  You may need to scrape down the sides a few times to make sure everything is evenly incorporated.  Allow to chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes and then serve.  If you can't wait, go ahead and dig in!  

This dip is great on crackers, as a sandwich spread, or with fresh veggies.  This is a quick (especially once prepared), healthy snack you can feel great about eating.